The Shrimp Tacos To End All Shrimp Tacos

All I can say is sometimes...you make something special. Something beyond, "Hey, that was good." Something that screams, delicious, the moment it touches your lips. Something that warrants a happy-dance and congratulatory back patting.

Sometimes, you hit it out of the park and you think to yourself ~Magic.


This is one of those times.


Simple. Flavorful. Delicious.
These, my friends, are the shrimp tacos to end all shrimp tacos.
And after years of trying to nail down the perfect shrimp taco recipe, tonight I go to bed with a great big smile on my face.

Yeah.
They're that good. Grin.

My Shrimp Taco Tutorial

Make slaw












After marinating 30 min.


Cut each shrimp into two or three bite size pieces. Squeeze wedge of fresh lime juice over shrimp. Toss and refrigerate.
 







Make batter.






Prepare tortillas by heating up a large skillet. Add 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil and spread around skillet. Place 3 tortillas in hot skillet and fry 20 or 30 seconds on each side. Stack on a plate. Repeat this process adding a teaspoon of vegetable oil with each batch until all of your tortillas are warmed up and soft.




Slice one whole ripe avocado into wedges.

Pour vegetable oil into a deep pan until about 2 inches deep. Heat over med-high heat. Oil should be around 365 degrees but I can tell the oil is ready when a drop of water pops when added to the hot oil ;-)

Remove your shrimp from frig and toss in beer batter. Drop each piece of battered shrimp into the hot oil, being careful not to crowd the pan. Discard extra batter. You will probably need to cook the shrimp in two batches. Fry until gold brown and then drain the shrimp on paper towels.









Place hot fried shrimp in a large bowl. Drizzle Thai Sweet Chili sauce over your shrimp and gently toss.
You want enough sauce to coat but you don't want to drown the shrimp.



Time to assemble the tacos.  Add 3 or 4 shrimp pieces on a prepared tortilla. Add desired amount of slaw and one slice of fresh avocado.







Repeat until your heart's content.


The Lemonista's Shrimp Tacos
Yields 12 tacos
*if you decide to double the recipe, you do not need to double the batter. It is enough to make 2lbs of shrimp

1 lbs raw jumbo shrimp, thawed (if using frozen) peeled and deveined 
wedge of fresh lime
12 My Nana's brand white corn tortillas, taco size. 
Vegetable oil
1 bottle Thai Sweet Chili sauce (found in Asian section at grocery store or here is a link to a good one)
1 recipe Jalapeno Cilantro Slaw (below)
1 recipe Mexican Beer Batter (below) 

1. Make slaw.
2. Cut each shrimp into two or three bite size pieces. Squeeze wedge of fresh lime juice over shrimp. Toss and refrigerate. 
3. Make batter.
4. Prepare tortillas by heating up a large skillet. Add 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil and spread around skillet. Place 3 tortillas in hot skillet and fry 20 or 30 seconds on each side. Stack on a plate. Repeat this process adding a teaspoon of vegetable oil with each batch until all of your tortillas are warmed up and soft. 
5. Slice one whole ripe avocado into wedges. 
6. Pour vegetable oil into a deep pan until about 2 inches deep. Heat over med-high heat. Oil should be around 365 degrees but I can tell the oil is ready when a drop of water pops when added to the hot oil ;-)
7. Remove your shrimp from frig and toss in beer batter. Drop each piece of battered shrimp into the hot oil being careful not to crowd the pan. You will probably need to cook the shrimp in two batches. Fry until gold brown and then drain the shrimp on paper towels. 
8. Place hot fried shrimp in a large bowl. Drizzle Thai Sweet Chili sauce over your shrimp and gently toss. You want enough sauce to coat but you don't want to drown the shrimp. 
9. Time to assemble the tacos.  Add 3 or 4 shrimp pieces on a prepared tortilla. Add desired amount of slaw and one slice of fresh avocado. Repeat until your heart's content. 

Jalapeño Cilantro Slaw

1/3 cup good quality Mayo (such as Best Foods)
1 Tablespoon white vinegar
1 Tablespoon white sugar
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
10oz bag angel hair shredded cabbage
1 fresh jalapeño pepper, seeds removed, sliced very thin
1/2 bunch french cilantro, chopped. (no stems)
3 green onions, chopped

Mix first 5 ingredients and then pour over cabbage mixture. Marinate slaw in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes.

Mexican Beer Batter
*You can use this same batter for fish tacos. 
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup white rice flour (found this in Gluten free section at grocery store)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 cup cold Mexican beer, such as Corona or Tecate

Combine all ingredients and stir until batter is smooth.

**I live in Phoenix, Arizona and I can easily find delicious Arizona made My Nana's tortillas, but if you do not live in Arizona, and do not have access to My Nana's products, Mission brand white corn tortillas also work great in this recipe. 

Peace out :-)

~The Lemonista

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Cookin' Thai Food

Man, do I love Thai food. So much so that I spent last fall studying and cooking Thai food until I mastered a few dishes.  I even did a Thai feast for Thanksgiving in lieu of a traditional meal!  I must say that the cookbook, Hot Sour Salty Sweet by Jeffrey Alford & Naomi Duguid was my greatest resource and an all around fabulous book.  The photography, writing and recipes truly take you on a journey through southeast Asia.  As with most things in life, I tend to put my own spin on things--so one of the recipes I post today is my own interpretation and the other is a classic that I found online.  I'm a little nervous to post these because Thai food is not for everyone.  If you've never had Thai food before, perhaps seek some out to sample before investing in special ingredients.  You may love it and you may not, but either way you can feel more cultured for trying!  Here are my two favorite Thai dishes--Panang Curry & Pineapple Fried Rice. 

First up, Pineapple Fried Rice
Thai ingredients that I cannot find in the Asian food section at the grocery store I order from this online store:
http://www.importfood.com/
The fresh Kaffir lime leaves smell AMAZING and keep in the freezer for months ;-)
I will copy and paste this recipe bellow but here's the link
http://thaifood.about.com/od/vegetarianthairecipes/r/thaifriedrice.htm?p=1

You will need.

and cooked Thai Jasmine white rice (not pictured).

I cook the rice and then put it in the frig uncovered for an hour or so before I start. 
Mix 1 Tbsp. oil with the rice, using your fingers to separate any chunks into grains. Set aside.


In a cup, stir the soy sauce/fish sauce together with the curry powder.
Tip:  Schilling Curry Powder bought at the grocery store works great for Thai cooking but if you want something extra special, Penzeys Sprices sells a Maharajah Curry Powder that is to die for!
http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeysmaharajah.html
If you use the Penzeys curry, reduce to 1 1/2 tsp in this recipe as it is more powerful.

Drizzle 1-2 Tbsp. oil in a wok/large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots, garlic, and chili, stir-frying until fragrant (1 minute). Whenever the wok/pan becomes dry, add a little stock (1/2 to 1 Tbsp. at a time to keep the pan sizzling).  I've got a wok attachment for my stove, if you've got one this is a great time to use it.


Crack egg (if using) into wok and stir quickly to cook (like making scrambled eggs).



Add the carrot (if using), peas, cashews. Stir-fry 1 minute in the same way, adding more stock if needed.


Now add the rice, pineapple chunks, and currents. Drizzle the fish/soy sauce mixed with curry powder over and gently stir-fry to combine over medium-high to high heat until the rice "dances" (begins to make popping sounds) - about 3 minutes.Tip: Avoid adding any more stock from here on, or your rice will turn out soggy. The wok/pan should be hot and dry.




Remove from heat. Do a taste-test for saltiness, adding a few shakes of salt or up to 2 Tbsp. more [veggie] fish sauce or soy sauce, as needed. (If you happen to over-salt the dish, add a squeeze or two of lime juice.)

To serve, scoop rice onto a serving platter (or in a carved-out pineapple, if serving at a party - see link at beginning of recipe). Top with spring onions and coriander (cilantro), and ENJOY!

*LINK TO THE RECIPE POSTED ABOVE*

Panang Curry

You will need

1 lb. raw Jumbo Shrimp, OR 3 boneless skinless chicken breast, OR desired about of fried tofu.

1 13oz can coconut milk

2 Tbsp. red curry paste (http://www.importfoods.com/)

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 Tbsp. peanut butter

1 1/2 tsp. fish sauch (http://www.importfoods.com/)

1 1/2 tsp. soy sauce

6 kaffir lime leaves

4 servings of cooked jasmine rice

Thaw, shell and devein raw shrimp and set aside. Or if using chicken, slice raw chicken into thin strips and set aside.   Add coconut milk to a saute pan along with red curry, brown sugar and peanut butter.  Whisk to combine and heat to a simmer.  Add lime leaves and simmer 2-3 min.  Then add shrimp and simmer 5 mins until all shrimp turn pink on all sides. (or add chicken and simmer 5-7min until chicken is cooked through)